Mr. M. then remarks, "that the practice of which we complain is not of native growth. It assorts not at all with the notions which our Bibles and forefathers taught us, of the obligations of the duty which lies upon us to sanctify our hearts upon the Sabbath, that we may keep it holy. It has been imported from abroad, &c." In this connexion he adds, and thus closes the section

"It is needless for me to describe what the consequences of this opinion, and of this doctrine, have been, after the detail which I have already given in the early part of this section. The same doctrine, and the same consequences, we fear, are rapidly extending among ourselves; and if our feeble exertions shall have no effect in counteracting their spread, we shall, at least, have the satisfaction of having pointed out their cure. Let every one apply the subject to himself, and let him bring to its examination, his own experience and observation. Measure the performance of duty by the standard of the Divine law, and let the wisdom and the utility of every ordinance of religion be determined by its own requirements and effects. Select from among your ac quaintance and your neighbours, those by whom the praises of Jehovah are never sung, and by whom his Sabbaths are never sanctified-and tell us, what are their characters and pursuits, and what the hopes and prospects with which they are cheered? Look around the world, and tell us, where do the virtues which most adorn human life, most eminently flourish; and where is the happiness that is most lasting, most fully enjoyed? Is it not by those whose hearts are most uniformly filled with the fear of the Lord, and whose lives are most uniformly spent in the observance of his ordinances, and the study and obedience of his laws? Where does iniquity spread its baneful influence most widely over the theatre of human action--and where does profligacy contaminate most deeply the sources of human virtue, and break down the landmarks of duty, and throw open the flood-gates of pollution? Is it not where the restraints of religion are avowedly despised-where its institutions are openly profaned, and the name and

* Matth. viii. 38.

the attributes of its author, are never worshipped or revered? Whom would you select as your most faithful friends, or whom would you trust as your most confidential servants? Those who neither obeyed the appointments of God, nor trembled at the denouncements of his blameless in his statutes, and whose fidelity in your service, and whose attachment to your interest, were the fruits of their veneration for the laws, and of

wrath? or those who strove to walk

their attendance upon the ordinances of that Almighty Being, who, in six days, made the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them: and rested on the Sabbath, and blessed and hallowed it? Which is the more pleasing spectacle to behold, a community of men whose hearts are subdued under a sense of their dependence upon the power and goodness of God, and expanded under the influence of a devotional regard to his institutions and his laws, and who assemble together, with a meek and grave deportment, to give utterance to the gratitude with which their affections glow, and to hear and obey the admonitions of those who tell them, that it is not a vain thing to wait upon the Lord, neither is it unprofitable to keep his ordinances,-or that of a community where the fear of God is never acknowledged, and his worship is never witnessed; where their Sabbaths are the Sabbaths of oxen, and their solemn feasts the holidays of Satan, spent in the pleasures of brutes, and devoted to the revelry of sin? Whether is it more pleasing to behold men devoting the morning of the resurrection to the blissful employment of thanksgiving and praise, or to the sordid calculations of avarice, and the sluggish indulgence in debasing apathy-to see them preparing their hearts for solemnizing the rites of heaven, and taking sweet counsel together, as they walk to the house of God in company-or to see them snuffing at the ordinances of the Lord of Hosts, and posting away from the sight and the service of the sanctuary, and strengthening one another in the strong holds of impiety, and encouraging one another in the propagation of profligacy?— Away from us, O ye wicked, for we will keep the commandments of our God! This is the statute which we will observe; and these are the words of the law which we will obey: "Whatsoever others do, as for us and our house, we will serve the Lord." To his voice will we listen, and his covenant will we keep. For, thus saith the Lord to them who choose the things that please him, and who take bold on his covenant to do it-Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man

that layeth hold on it--that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it-and that restraineth himself from doing any evil upon it. Them will I bring to my holy mountain, and there will I make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their of ferings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar, and their souls shall be satisfied with the goodness of my house, even of my holy temple.""

We, on the whole, consider the publication of this little volume, at the present time, as peculiarly seasonable; and cannot but hope it

will be highly useful in aiding the attempts now making to arrest the tide of Sabbath profanation, which threatens to sweep away the reli gious observances, the moral character, and eventually the peace and liberties of our happy land. The price of the volume is but a dollar; and we think it would be charity well bestowed, if some of our wealthy citizens should purchase a number of copies for gratuitous distribution.

Interesting to Mariners.—The following information concerning fish frequently used as food by sailors on voyages to the South Seas, is communicated to us by the late commander of the Arab, and will be interesting to Mariners:-"On my outward bound passage to Valparaiso, in November last, during the whole of the ele venth we were surrounded with bonnetta, and in the evening three were struck and brought on board by one of the men. The following morning, Monday, there were several caught with the hook, and all on board partook of them. On Tuesday morning two more were caught, and the men eat them for breakfast. The man that relieved the helm at eight, had eaten some of them, and at half past eight his face and breast were of a very red dark colour; he complained of violent headache; I gave him twenty-five grains of ipecacuanha. In a few minutes more another man complained, and within the hour after breakfast I had given seven emetics. There were two more ill, but they could not take a vomit.

In a few hours those who took emetics were all well, but it was late in the evening before the other two got better. The very strange effect the eating of these fish had upon the men, is worthy of remark. They invariably turned of a dark dingy red colour; and were quite unfit for any kind of work from head-ache and a languid sensation, which they could not get over until the vomit had taken effect. I have crossed the line eighteen times, and never at any period saw so many fish. On the 14th three abicore were caught; the men boiled and eat them, taking care to put into the kettle, along with the fish, a piece of silver: if it came out black, the fish were unwholesome, if bright, they were good; in this instance, it was bright." J. N. S.

Mode of marking Sheep without injury to the Wool.-An English writer gives the following: Mark on either side of the nose of the sheep, the initials of the owner's name, and on the opposite side any number by which he may choose to designate the particular sheep, by means of a small iron letter or figure about an inch long; which being dipped in common oil colours, mixed with turpentine to dry them more readily, is placed on the part de. scribed, and will continue until the next shearing season.-The process is easy, and will give the animal no pain; the marks cannot be readily obliterated, which is not the case with tattooing or cauterizing.

Salt a cure for Epilepsy.-On Thursday afternoon, a decent looking woman was observed to stagger, to the pavement at the foot of High-street. Immediately afterwards she fell back-her eyes were shut -her arms extended-her mouth openher lips pale, and to all appearance she approached with a handful of salt, and a was fast stiffening into death. A woman gentleman ordered it to be handed to a police officer, that it might be put into the mouth of the sufferer. The salt had not lain half a minute on her lips till she licked it in with her tongue, and in a minute afterwards she opened her eyes, rose, and went away. The gentleman who ordered the salt to be applied, followed her a few yards, and inquired if she was subject to such fits. "O yes," she replied, "but I never was so soon cured before."-This is the third instance of the kind we have detailed within these few months, because so simple and efficient a remedy for such an afflicting disorder cannot be too generally known.-[Scotsman.

A Portable Ice House.-Take an iron bound butt or puncheon, and knock out the head, cutting a very small hole in the

bottom, about the size of a wine cork. Place inside of it a wooden tub, shaped like a churn, resting it upon two pieces of wood, which are to raise it from touching the bottom. Fill the space around the inner tub with charcoal, and fit to the tub a cover, with a convenient handle, having inside one or two small hooks, on which are to be hung the bottles during the operation. Place on the lid a bag of charcoal, about two feet square; if the charcoal in this bag is pounded it will answer better; and over all, place another cover, which must cover the head of the outer casks. When the apparatus is thus prepared, let it be placed in a cold cellar, and buried in the earth above four-fifths of its height; but, though cold, the cellar must be dry, wet ground will not answer, and a sandy soil is the best. Fill the inner tub or nearly so, with pounded ice; or, if prepared in the winter, with snow well pressed down, and the apparatus will be complete. Whenever it is wished to make ice, take off the upper cover, then the sack or bag of pounded charcoal, and suspend the vessel containing the liquid to be frozen to the hooks inside of the inner cover; then close up the whole, as before, for half an hour, when the operation will be complete, provided proper care be taken to exclude external air.

the senses.

Julia Brace.-The Hartford (Connecticut,) Times contains an account of this young lady, who is an inmate of the Asylum, for the Deaf and Dumb, in that place. Julia Brace was born deaf, dumb and blind, being but the second instance ever recorded, of so great a misfortune. Of a temper docile, she began early to display a degree of sagacity not always to be found in those who are endowed with Her parents being poor she was removed to the Asylum, where she is treated with great tenderness. Although cut off as it would seem from every source of information, she is very industrious and constantly employed. She makes beautiful counterpanes, and in threading her needle, seems chiefly guided by an application of the tongue. In the summer of 1826, we saw this young lady-she was engaged at work upon a pair of prunella shoes, and specimens were exhibited, that would have done credit to the most skilful and experienced workman. It cannot be supposed that she has any idea of the computation of time, yet she manifests a sacred observance of the Sabbath; on that day lays aside her work, and appears engrossed with the most serious reflection. Many little anecdotes are related in the Times, which show the incredible extent of her intelligence, and appear to settle the long contested point, that ideas are innate.

Curious Discovery.-It is a fact, strange as it may seem, says the Providence American, that a number of manuscript volumes (we believe 18) undoubtedly genuine, containing the journal of the British House of Commons during the Protectorship of Cromwell, has been discovered among a mass of books and manuscripts belonging to a literary society in New York, which for many years had remained undisturbed. This journal has heretofore been lost, and no trace of it discovered by the British historians and antiquarians, who have been compelled to supply this gap in their historical records from other less authentic sources.

The manuscripts were undoubtedly brought to this country by the Regicides, who fled hither on the restoration, with a view to prevent the attainder of their friends, and to conceal the proceedings of the Rump Parliament. From these persons they can be traced with tolerable certainty into the possession of the society, among whose books they have been found by an industrious and intelligent searcher for the curious. The books have not remained so long concealed, but it is their contents which have now for the first time, been discovered. Heretofore they have passed as some old manuscripts, only curious as the specimens of the writthe literary publick will before long be ing of an early period. We presume that favoured with a minute account of this discovery, through the society which has the honour of having made it by means of one of its officers.

Singular.-A short time since, a gentleman of Providence, R. 1. was out in the suburbs endeavouring to get a shot at a large eagle. Suddenly the eagle sprang upwards, and continued to wing his flight spirally to an immense height, nearly out of sight, when he fell to the earth, nearly on the spot from whence he had flown. On approaching the eagle, a small weazel was observed to run from the body, and on examination it was found the animal had got under the eagle's wing, and commenced feasting upon his blood, until the noble bird fell from exhaustion. The little marauder then made his escape.

Prevention of Colds.-"Perhaps," says Dr. Beddoes, "there would be hardly such a thing as a bad cold, if people, when they find it coming on, were to keep cool, to avoid wine and strong drinks, and to confine themselves for a short time to a simple diet, as potatoes and other vegetables, with toast and water. I have known instances of heat in the nostrils, difficulty of breathing, with a short tickling cough, and other symptoms, threatening a violent cold, go off entirely in consequence of this plan being pursued.

I have found the pulse beat from, twelve to twenty strokes in a minute less, after a person at the onset of a cold, had continued quiet three-quarters of an hour in a cold room. It is not only warmth, suddenly applied, that will throw any part of the body, after it has been starved or benumbed, into violent action, and bring on inflammation, strong liquors will do the same."

A letter from one of our subscribers in Alabama gives us some account of a fly which has been very troublesome and injurious in that state and Mississippi, in the course of the past summer. "They attack man and beast indiscriminately, preferring a fresh wound, however slight, for depositing their young, which speedily penetrate deep into the flesh, and if not removed in time, destroy life. I have been told of a number of cases in which they deposited their young in the noses, mouths, ears, eyes, &c. of infants or of grown persons, when they were intoxicated or very sound asleep. As they grow very fast, it is almost impossible to get them out, and if not removed they produce death by working into the head."

[Georgia Recorder. Vegetable Curiosities.-We are informed, that in several instances, on this island, the Lilac has put forth new leaves, and bloomed a second time. The flowers were as full, as delicate in colour and tints, and as fine scented, as those which shed their fragrance in the Spring. A second growth of peaches has been had in New Jersey: and in various parts of the country, where no second growth has occurred, the character of the peach has been singularly changed in colour, flavour, and time of maturity-the branch that bore late fall peaches last year, producing high flavoured rare ripes this-a month earlier than their regular period. [N. Y. Statesman.

Recipe.-Dr. Godman has recommend. ed the following simple and certain remedy for a common and fatal disease among children. He says, "whenever they are threatened with an attack of cynanche trachealis (Croup), I direct a plaster covered with dry Scotch snuff, varying in size according to the age of the patient, to be applied directly across the top of the throat, and retained there till all the symptoms disappear. The remedy is found to be always effectual when applied in the first and second stages of the malady." The plaster is made by greasing a piece of linen and covering it with snuff.

American Desert.-There is an extensive desert in the Territory of the United States, west of the Mississippi, which is described in Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, 400 miles to the East and is VOL. VI. Ch. Adv.

5000 from north to south. There are deep ravines in which the brooks and rivers meander, skirted by a few stunted trees, but all the elevated surface is a barren desert, covered with sand, gravel, pebbles, &c. There are a few plants, but nothing like a tree, to be seen on these desolate plains, and seldom is a living creature to be met with. The Platte, the Arkansas, and other rivers, flow through this dreary waste.-[Pittsburg Spectator.

The British have sent the sloop of war Chanticleer, Capt. Foster, on a voyage of discovery to New South Shetland, and towards the south Pole. One principal object of the expedition is, however, to mark the vibrations of the pendulum in different places, with a view to ascertain the true figure of the earth, and what varia tions there are in the law of gravity.

Comets. The two Comets, which are soon to appear, excite much interest. According to the calculations of M. Dumonseau, of the French Academy, that, the mean revolution of which is 2,460 days, will arrive at perihelion on the 27th of November, 1832, at thirty-two minutes twenty-one seconds after eleven; its perturbations may be nine days fifteen hours, fifty-six minutes, twenty-seven seconds. The comet, the period of which is three years and a third, has a less irregular motion. It will reappear towards the end of the present summer; on the 11th of November it will reach its shortest distance from the earth; and towards the middle of the 10th of Jan. 1829, it will arrive at the perihelion. It is hoped that the observations on this comet will tend to resolve the important question, as to the resistance of the ether to the movements of celestial bodies.

The following custom is said to prevail at Munich:-Every child found begging in the streets, is arrested and carried to a charitable establishment. The moment he enters the hospital, and before he is cleaned, and gets the new clothes intended for him, his portrait is painted in his ragged dress, and precisely as he was found begging. When his education is finished in the hospital, this portrait is given to him, and he promises by an oath, to keep it all his life, in order that he may be reminded of the abject condition from which he may have been rescued, of the obligation he owes to the institution which saved him from misery, and gave him the means by which he was enabled to avoid it in future.

Natural Curiosity.-A piece of a cedar tree, in a perfect state of preservation, has been left at our office, which is stated to have been found in digging a well in York, Upper Canada, at the distance of 32 feet

3 T

feet below the surface. It was embedded in a strata of solid blue clay, and must have been perfectly excluded from the contact of air or water, as the fibre of the wood is solid and perfect, and possesses all the elasticity of a limb fresh from the tree, although it must, in all probability, have remained for ages in the bowels of the earth. The distance of the well from the bay is about 80 rods.-[N. Y. Com. Adv.

Lenox, (Mass.) Oct. 16. Power of Gunpowder.-On Wednesday last, the Messrs. Boyntons, of West Stockbridge, while engaged in uncovering a body of marble, discovered a hole in the rock, which, upon examination proved to be about 15 feet deep, penetrating in nearly a perpendicular direction. Its diameter at top was about 18 inches, narrowing towards the bottom to about 4 inches. This hole they determined to charge with gunpowder, in order to raise up the strata of marble. They accordingly poured into the hole 204 lbs. of powder, and secured in the manner usually practised in blasting. Upon firing it the effect produced was truly astonishing. The earth trembled as though shaken by an earthquake. The trees in the immediate vicinity of the powder seemed to rise several feet in the air, bowing gracefully from side to side, as if tossed upon a billow. The mass of marble which was raised, is about 50 or 60 feet square on the surface, and 8 feet thick, weighing by measurement upwards of 2000 tons.

Shawneetown, (Illinois,) Sept. 27. Squirrels.-We understand from the farmers that great havoc is every where made and making by these mischievous animals-They were never seen in so great numbers before. A gentleman of veracity informed us, a day or two ago, that he killed upwards of 400 in and about his field in one day, and the next morning they appeared as numerous as ever. They are seen constantly swimming back and forth across the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and are killed by the boys and sportsmen, in great numbers, at their landing. It is a new fact to us, in the natural history of these animals, that they should swim rivers from a mile to a mile and a half in width, but it is every day verified by the eyes of our inhabitants.

LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Our Village, by Miss Mitford. Walsh's Journey from Constantinople to England.

Duke of Saxe-Weimar's Travels in N. America.

Franklin's Second Journey.

The Token, edited by N. P. Willis. Guide to Strangers in Philadelphia, with a Map, by B. Tanner.

Atlantic Souvenir.
The Pearl, by T. Ash.

MISSIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

In our last number we gave a ge

neral view of the proceedings of the Assembly's Board of Missions, and promised a similar view, in our present number, of the proceedings of the Executive Committee of that Board-This promise we are now to fulfil.

The most important transactions of the Executive Committee are given in communications from the Corresponding Secretary and General Agent. As far as space will permit, we shall insert in our number for this month, the letters addressed by the Corresponding Secretary to the Commit

our

tee, and one or two communications made directly to the publick, through the medium of the Phila

delphian. After we shall have laid

all these communications before our the minutes of the Executive Comreaders, we shall carefully review mittee, and any additional information which they may afford shall also be published.

Corresponding Secretary and GeThe first communication of the neral Agent was the following: Proceedings of the Board of Missions of

the Presbyterian Church; communicated by the Rev. Dr. Ely, the Corresponding Secretary and General Agent, June 16th, 1828.

Executive Committee, and read, from the This day a letter was received by the